Re: "Human ancestors born big brained"

Claudius Denk wrote:

we moderns have an extended infancy in
order to grow our brains bigger outside the womb.

This IS self-praising B/S

Strange comment. It seems like standard evolutionary
thinking. It seems pretty tame and even conservative to me.

It is indeed "standard evolutionary 'thinking' ".
It is also self-praising B/S.

Whenever you see a Standard-PA comment
on human brain-size, you will necessarily
find pure B/S.

Elephants have a big brain as well. But
their neonates can walk just as quickly
as any deer. Altriciality/precocity is
determined by the niche

Vague, meaningless.

Not at all. Elephants have big brains.
BUT their niche requires each family group
to be constantly on the move, and to fend
off predators. So, like antelope, their
neonates have to be able to walk well
almost as soon as they are born. Species,
without these kinds of pressures, (e.g.
carnivores, pigs, porcupine) can have
altricial infants, and often use burrows
for nests.

When you encounter a species with altricial
young, you will know that it does not move
around much. Guess how Standard PA regards
the animal it studies? All its 'thinking' is the
result of a deep ignorance of the concept of
niche.

-- not by daft
notions about 'brain development'.

Are you suggesting that 'brain development' can't be part of
the niche? If not then it seems you have a non-issue (as
usual).

'Brain development' is like all other kinds
of growth -- and its rate and nature will be
determined, above all, by the requirements
of the niche.

Take any species, see how it lives, and that
will tell you how its infants will develop
(including their brains). Bird chicks in high
nests risk falling out if they are too active
too early. Those which nest on the ground
usually need to be active early to minimise
predation. The first will be altricial, the
second precocial. Chimp infants need to be
fairly capable early on, since they can readily
fall from the high trees in which they sleep
and spend much other time. Human infants have
no such pressures, and are far better off NOT
moving. So they don't.


Paul.



.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: "Human ancestors born big brained"
    ... order to grow our brains bigger outside the womb. ... Altriciality/precocity is ... BUT their niche requires each family group ... altricial infants, and often use burrows ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: Man-eaters
    ... assumed that large brains came first, ... language capacities, etc., should not ... already in the right sort of niche. ... Our first task is to explain the nature ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: Clarks dilemma
    ... trees, exactly as chimps do. ... same amount of time on the ground as chimps. ... became super-duper intelligent, the infants ... in trees when their infants' brains grew. ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: "Human ancestors born big brained"
    ... will tell you how its infants  will develop ... (including their brains). ...  Bird chicks in high ... nests risk falling out if they are too active ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
  • Re: "Human ancestors born big brained"
    ... will tell you how its infants  will develop ... (including their brains). ...  Bird chicks in high ... nests risk falling out if they are too active ...
    (sci.anthropology.paleo)
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